New Robrenz video -- great stuff!

Will that US General tool chest hold all that weight for a long time? That's quite a piece of granite!
 
EmilioG said:
Will that US General tool chest hold all that weight for a long time? That's quite a piece of granite!
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I guess you did not watch the video, Emilio. Robin is using 2 of the tool boxes and each one has more than double the capacity of the plate weight. It also has the correct dimensions. The two chests back to back exactly equal the width of the plate, and the plate overhangs the length by about one inch on each end, allowing clamping access. If indeed you did not watch the whole video, Emilio, I recommend you do so, Robin thinks way beyond what most of us do, even if he does have to add braces for the jacks at the end.
 
Wonderful mod, ingenious was to create extra storage, but with what I know about surface plates and half ton weights, I don't think I'd
rely on a 18ga. sheet metal base. That's only ~.020". Not too sure about that. Gut feeling is that it's flimsy.

Tooling up an ordnance project back in the 80's I ordered (3) 4'x8' Starrett Pinks. They sat on massive bases, ever the 4'x4's ones did.
The large Pinks came in totally out of spec and had to be reworked. Took a couple of weeks, moving them into the Met Lab, letting them
soak and than lapping and bringing them into spec. I was very surprised they came in that far off-spec.
If you have a temperature change of a couple of degrees, the steel changes and you're back to square one waiting on the steel to stabilize.
I need to watch his videos later on when he laps it. I want to see the method used to get 'lab' grade specs in a garage.
 
I understand Bob, I did watch. I just don’t have faith in those tool boxes to hold all that weight. Just my feeling on this. I hope it works for him. Not something I would do myself.
 
A large company was closing one of its 3 tool and die shops and I found two toolmakers carts that were surplus. Paid $225 for both, and they are made of 10 gauge steel (!). They wanted me to take a 18" X 24" Mitutoyo AA grade surface plate as well, for a price. That granite plate now resides on one of the toolmaker carts.

Normally a surface plate is stationary and levelled. My shop is too small, so most of the gear has to be moveable.
 
oh, and what a great idea from Robin as usual!!! Although it looks a little dodgey, those casters look up to the challenge, and the centre support is made of two walls which adds considerably to the carrying capacity. If I didn'n have a base already, I think I'd copy Robin's idea.

-- I can't wait for the resurfacing video(s)!!!
 
And how about the weight of whatever he puts inside the stand. and will this change the shape of the stand when things are moved in the draws.
Just my 5c
Brian.
 
In Robin's shop there seems to be no such thing as a permanently completed project. If it needs to be modified further or scrapped and started over from scratch, Robin will do it. Just about everything in his shop is custom made, modified, and tweaked so he is as happy as possible with working with it full time doing challenging work. I have no worries about Robin being stuck with a pig in a poke for longer than it takes him to do something about it. I also like that he is not afraid to use lower tech and lower cost shop made and shop modified tooling as well as state of the art stuff to achieve amazing results. Making high end parts and tools is not just Robin's profession, it is also his life's passion.

There is a phone interview on Instagram where Robin discusses his career and how he got to where he is now. I cannot find it at the moment, but it is also amazing. He lives what he does and has from childhood.
 
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